By augusta hunten



P. HUNTEN, DECD.

A. HUNTEN, ADMINISTRATRIX.

HONEYCOMB SECTION.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. 18, 1915.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

m2 Mann's PETERS co nnomuma. WASNING mu. ay 0,

UNITED s ra'ras PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL HUNTEN, DECEASED, LATE OF SOMERSET, COLORADO, BY AUGUSTA HUNTEN, ADMINISTRATRIX, OF SOMERSET, COLORADO.

HONEYCOMB-SECTION.

Application filed February 18, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that PAUL HUNTEN, deceased, formerly a citizen of the United States residing at Somerset, in the county of Gunnison and State of Colorado, of whom I, AUGUSTA HUNTEN, a citizen of the United States, and residing at said Somerset, am the administratriX, did in his lifetime invent certain new and useful Improvements in Honeycomb-Sections, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to honeycomb sections and has for its object broadly the provision of a honey-comb section of new and improved construction, which will eliminate numerous inconveniences and evils incidental to the use of honey-comb sections, prior to this invention, and which may be more economically handled and marketed.

Prior to this invention, it has been generally the custom to provide in the beehive, or super, honey-receiving sections of wood placed one upon another in a carrier or frame disposed in position to permit the work of the bees. This form of section has been productive of considerable annoyance to the bee-keeper, by reason of the fact that it could not be provided without numerous cracks, crevices and the like, which the bees invariably filled, not with wax or honey, but with a brownish yellow substance called propolis, which renders the finished package unsightly. XVhere the sections are made of wood, it is substantially impossible to construct either them or the frame so that they will fit snugly together with only lines of contact between them, the bees having filled any gaping apertures or recesses with propolis. This same substance is frequently spread over the edges and upon the outside of the sections and must be removed, if the section and its honey are to present a pleasing and salable appearance. In the past, this removal has been carried on in beeproof houses, or out-buildings; as the bees will, if given any opportunity at all, steal back honey from the combs removed. It must be scraped off with a knife or similar instrument and unless the greatest care is used, the operator is likely to damage or injure the delicate comb of waX and permit the honey to leak out upon the package.

Frequently in the packaging of honey for the market, it has been the custom to place a number of the filled wooden sections in a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

Serial No. 9,200.

strong, heavy, wooden boX provided with a plate glass side or front, in order that the goods may be displayed without the necessity of a show case and yet kept from the dust of the atmosphere. The shipment of this type of packagehas been at high transportation cost, because of the glass, which prior to my invention, in many instances, has been demanded by the merchants, in order that the filled sections may be displayed attractively in the original packages. This method of handling honey sections, while in some measure keeping the honey from the outside air, has in no sense been sanitary, as the wooden sections, before being placed in the box, must be exposed for long periods and handled considerably in the cleaning process. And it possesses the further evil of permitting any leakage from one section to be distributed over the others, which, as the honey is sticky, renders the goods, from a commercial point of view, practically unsalable.

A principal object of this invention is the reducing of the necessity of cleaning the sections to a minimum and of exercising unusual care in their handling, after they have come from the hive; and the elimination also of the need of the bee-proof structure, already mentioned.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a honey section, which may be packed so as to obtain the lowest possible transit rates given goods which are not likely to damage other goods during shipment.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a honey-comb section, which may be readily sealed from the atmosphere as it is taken from the hive, and not again opened until it is in the hands of the ultimate consumer; said section being so constructed that the filled comb may be easily inspected, without exposing the honey, thus providing a sanitary honey package.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a honey-comb section adapted to be safely packed, when filled and sealed, as will be later described, in relatively large numbers, -in cartons of corrugated pasteboard, thereby reducing the weight of the package for a given number, and reducing also correspondingly the cost of transportation, said sections being so constructed that the contents may be readily inspected, with- :where it n.. .it injure persons eating the noney. 7 l I Other o jects and ad 'antages of the 111- rention \fll be better understood from the following description, when considered .in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof;

On the drawing, Figure l is a side elevation of a honey-comb section embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken subsequently on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the sections filled with honey; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the section ready to be positioned in the frame; Fig. e is a perspective of a finished package; Fig. 5 is a ver tical section through the same.

The hone -comb section embodying my invention and shown in the drawing is of sheet metal and comprises a body or section proper 11 bent to rectangular form and having its edges joined together. The central portion of this section may be, if desired, pressed outwardly, as seen at 12, in Fig. 5. The blanks from which these sections are made will, of course, be cut on some accurate machine, and of course no cracks are presented at the corners. The sides may be brought in smooth, accurate contact by countersinking the frame, in which the sections are suspended in the hive or super, as seen at 13 on the drawing.

Two covers, 13 and 1e are provided to close the open sides of the sections, after they are filled with honey and removed from the hive. Substantially no cleaning of the sections is found to be necessary, after they are removed from the hive, it only generally being required to position the cover and paste a label about the box. Of course, if it should be desired to not label the sides or any of them, the exposed portions between the edges of the covers may be polished without danger of the bees interfering during the opration and without danger of damage to the sections, except through the gross est carelessness. No bee-proof house is re quired. In one of the covers 14 in the present instance, a transparent, nonfrangible portion 15 is provided, celluloid being preferred, so that the honey may be viewed, without removing the cover 14:. With this arrangement, it is not material whether the inner surface of the edges 16 is covered with propolus, as these surfaces cannot be seen through the transparent portion 15.

A section, when positioned, is provided with a foundation 17 of well-known form and character, and it is removed, when filled with. the honey 18.

It will be manifest that should one or more of the cells of the filled comb become opened, it cannot leak outside of the section, when the covers are in place, so that there is little or no danger of the honey being smeared on neighboring objects. This permits, not only the economical handling of the device, but also reduces materially the transportation charges and lets the goods obtain a cheaper classification.

It is thought tiat the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be radily understood 'ithout further descrhation, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, and application of the honey-comb section described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its material advantages; the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Claims:

1. A sheet metal honey-comb section comprising an open-ended rectangular body in which the filled honey-comb is adapted to be formed; and slip covers having peripheral flanges adapted to frictionally engage and tightly seal the open ends of said body and shave off any applied propolis without cutting the ends of the honey cells, the said slip covers being adapted to be forced on to the said body more or less toward the faces of the honey-comb, according to the locations of the outer ends of the honey cells.

2. A sheet metal honey-comb section comprising an open-ended rectangular body in which the filled honey-comb is adapted to be formed, said body being formed with a peripheral enlarged middle portion with edges in-set therefrom; and slip covers having peripheral flanges adapted to frictionally engage said in-set edges of the body and tightly seal the open ends of said body and shave off any applied propolis without cutting. the ends of the honey cells, the said slip covers being adapted to be forced on to the said body more or less toward the faces of the honey comb, according to the locations of the outer ends'of the honey cells.

AUGUSTA HUNTEN, Aclm inistmtrz'w 0 f the estate 0 f Paul Hum/en,

deceased.

lVitnesses:

Mrs. G. EEURY, C. T. VINCENT.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Iatents, Washington, D. 0. 

